Blendtec Giveaway + Recipe Feature: Wonder Spread

When I first starting using a Blendtec several years ago, I didn’t realize how much my cooking and food preparation would evolve with just one appliance. Immediately I had a new love for green smoothies. While I had made them in a standard blender for a year or two beforehand, those potent green elixirs reached a new level of smooth with the Blendtec. I was giddy to pulverize collards, cucumber, frozen fruits, and chia seeds in my new rambo blender! Yet, I had no idea that I would use this appliance in so many of my daily recipe and meal preparations (more on that soon)! I use my Blendtec every day, and love it.

So, I am thrilled that Blendtec has partnered with me to give away one of their blenders, plus their signature Twister blending jar!

What better way to ring in 2014 than with this appliance that can help you prepare some of the healthiest, delicious, and most nutrient-dense foods?!

The more I’ve evolved working with whole foods in cooking and baking, the more I use my Blendtec. Their Wildside Jar is absolutely the best for green smoothies and large purees. I have come quite attached to the Twister Jar as well, and so I’m delighted that both these jars are part of this prize package.

Here are some of the ways I use my Blendtec daily:

Green Smoothies

I don’t go a day without them. I pack in the greens, including kale and parsley, and also cucumber. Usually I add a peeled lemon and some frozen mango, and add a scoop of Vega tropical smoothie infusion. After whizzing up my intense-green smoothie, I reserve a little and then add extra fruit for the girls – frozen (or room temp) ripe banana, frozen pineapple, and/or peeled orange. They would not drink it as green as I make it for myself and hubby! Some days I switch it up, but this is my fave combo. For more green smoothie tips, check out my tutorial here.

Pureed Pasta Sauces

I make the base sauce for my mac-oh-geez (above right) in my Blendtec Wildside, and also the sauce for my new fave pasta casserole, Mac-nificent (above left – yes, I now love it more than mac-oh-geez, if that’s possible). I make these sauces so often I don’t even measure anymore, just eyeball and VROOOM!

Salad Dressings, Sauces, and Dips

The Twister Jar has transformed how I make salad dressings. I used to make dressings in a large jar using an immersion blender. That works well, but once I started blitzing dressings in the Twister Jar, I haven’t gone back. Not only quick, it emulsifies dressing ingredients extremely well, and can pulverize nuts and also chia seeds for creamy nut-based sauces and oil-free dressings. Here are some examples of salad dressings/sauces that work famously using the Twister Jar. Since I make so many purees with my blender, I’m often asked “do you still use a food processor”? Quick answer: Yes! There are some dips, like hummus, that I still prefer to make in my food processor. I can make larger batches with those and have more control over the consistency with keeping some texture. But for very smooth sauces and dips, and nut-based blends, my Blendtec gets the job.

Pureed Soups

You can make soups literally in an instant in the Blendtec. Take some of your favorite ingredients and puree until smooth. You can then enjoy raw or just lightly warmed, or transfer to a saucepan to simmer and let the flavors infuse. I often pre-roast veggies and then puree into soups (or pasta sauces!) adding water, veg stock, or non-dairy milk (depending on the ingredient mix).

My Blendtec is also put to great use for ice cream mixes (see ice cream chapter in LTEV), healthy puddings and especially chia puddings, and other types of purees, smoothies, sauces, and mixes that I might make every week or two, just not every day. But my machine is in use every-single-day!

In addition to that Macnificent sauce I make weekly, another PP15 recipe I make frequently is my Wonder Spread. For that recipe I use the Twister Jar. It whips up small batches of thick purees exceptionally well. My family loves this spread – on crusty breads with soup, to top baked potatoes and sweet potatoes, spread on sandwiches and wraps and more! Even though I make it often, I still hear “this is reaaallly good” when the girls dig in!

To get you ready to whirl with the Blendtec blender and that Twister Jar,I am sharing the recipe for that PP15 Wonder Spread! It has incredible umami flavor, so you may want to double the batch and freeze a little for later (yes, it freezes well).

This recipe has such simple ingredients, that you might think it doesn’t taste particularly special. But it does! Be forewarned, this spread (or dip, sauce, mayo!) is addictive!

1 cup soaked cashews (soak in advance, see note)

1 1/2 tbsp chickpea miso (see note)

1 1/2 – 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (adjust to taste)

1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 – 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup

1/3 – 1/2 cup water (see note)

Salt and pepper if desired, to taste

In a blender, puree all ingredients on high speed until very smooth. Season to taste with additional salt if desired. Spread on breads, use for sandwiches, wraps, baked potatoes, veggie burgers, or to mix into grains or vegetable dishes. Many serving options with this recipe, it is delicious! Transfer to airtight containers to refrigerate. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Cashew Note: Raw cashews take about 3-4 hours to soak, so I find it helpful to soak in batches and then freeze in portions until ready to use. To soak, place nuts in a bowl of water and cover for several hours. The nuts will become larger after soaking, as they swell from absorbing some of the water. Drain the soaking water, and rinse the nuts. Then store in the fridge for a couple of days until ready to use, or in the freezer for a few months.

Miso Note: Chickpea miso is something I discovered this past year. It has such a mild, mellow flavor and a very fermented, umami essence. If you cannot find it, use a very mild miso like a brown rice – and start with just 1 tbsp as it tastes stronger than chickpea miso.

Water Note: Using just 1/3 cup of water will give you a thicker spread. However, if you don’t have a high-speed blender, you may find it difficult to get a smooth puree. If so, use the full 1/2 cup of water. The mixture will thicken slightly with refrigeration.

If you are vegan, plant-strong, or experimenting with more whole-foods plant-based eating, you will truly love using a Blendtec. In fact, you might wonder how you ever managed without one!

Enter through Rafflecopter below. Tell me what foods and recipes you’d make in 2014 with the Blendtec! Good luck and Happy New Year!

*Contest open to U.S. residents. Prize of a Black Designer Series Blendtec (factory recertified) plus Twister Jar will be shipped together directly to winner in the U.S. See rafflectopter for additional contest details and rules.

That wonder spread looks amazing! I want to make that…as well as smoothies, mac-oh-geez. Oh the artichoke dip is something I bring to every party! One party I went to I brought your artichoke dip and so did another person (the bad processed kind), my bowl was empty and the other was still left…ha!

I would be most excited about making really smooth smoothies! I can never get mine velvety, there are always chunky bits… but I am sure the Blendtec would blast those. I also love to make salad dressings, for instance Dreena’s Citrus Tahini dressing, which I make using an immersion blender in a jar. Of course the Wildside or Twister jars would be amazing for that! And now that it is winter in Canada I am making lots of saucy plant-powered casseroles to warm our bodies on these chilly nights. So really, I would be using the Blendtec every day more than once a day. Thanks for all the great recipes, Dreena.

There are so many vegan recipes that require the use of a high-powered blender that my regular blender can’t make. I’d use a Blendtec for my protein shakes, making salsa, nut milks, and lots of other stuff that I am unable to make now. Thanks.

I would have such a blast with the Blendtec that I would be in the kitchen practically 24/7! Smoothies, shakes, sauces, soups, dips and spreads, and probably go scouting for more recipes and invent a few new ones. Your recipes sound like great ones to start out with.

A Blendtec will make food creationing so easy. It will enable me to get rid of all my other kitchen-space-clogging appliances and just have the Blendtec on the bench (heaven) – as it covers the lot! I will use it in some way shape or form for pretty much all my food creating for every meal and snack, dessert or treat – from green smoothies for breakfast, to dips and dressings and soups and sauces and nut pastes, to sweet treats and ice creams, and so much more. It makes everything so quick and so simple.

With a Blendtec in my kitchen….I can magically, effortlessly, and speedily blendtec all the lovely living energies of raw foods of the Earth into tantalising delights to nourish, enrich, energise and uplift all my loved ones, making the world a vibrant, healthy, happy place! With a Blendtec I can do SO many varied and wonderful things…I can be the ultimate green smoothie goddess, icecream issuer, saucy soupier, dip delighter, jam jiggler, fresh flour-er, dough doffer, coffee bean cruncher, cacao creator, dessert diviner, salsa sashayer, guacamole geni, rainbow juice jivin’ creator….and all that with one Blendtec! ♥

I would make green smoothies and raw kefir smoothies every day along with just about everything else I make!
I’m desperately missing having a blender as I keep burning the motors of cheap appliances out but can’t afford a more expensive one! A friend was going to give me a bar mix, but I’ve been waiting over a month and it’s still not forthcoming so I can’t wait to have my kitchen fully functioning once again!! My husband has been wanting a strong blender for making raw soups. We tasted some at a health store and he was impressed. He finds it hard to eat healthy as you can’t just grab a muffin out of the pantry – it requires a bit of effort.

Geez I was just thinking this morning about how I wanted a Blendtec. I used one at my aunt and uncle’s last Spring and it’s amazing. I’m even signed up to receive weekly Blendtec e-mails even thought I don’t own one! The recipes I would mostly make would be vegan cheeze sauces using cashews. Well anything using soaked cashews. I have an ice cream base chilling in my fridge made of soaked cashews and coconut milk, but despite lots of whirring from my Ninja, there are still plenty of cashew bits. I’m not convinced it’s going to turn out very creaming.

Soups! They’re such a mainstay of my winter meals. And smoothies – I’d love to be able to grind up all that kale and flax seeds and berry seeds super smooth so that I wasn’t crunching my way through my green smoothie. 😛

How freakin awesome are YOU for having set this giveaway up?? Free stuff REALLY brings everyone out, huh? I mean, yikes! When I saw the number of comments, I did a double take and blinked to make sure I was reading it correctly. LOL

I wouldn’t actually make any recipes since I’d give the blender to my daughter if I win. She needs one so that she could blend whole foods for her 7 yr. old daughter who has been on a feed tube since birth. All these years she’s been on processed formula but my daughter would LOVE to get her eating whole plant foods instead. The doctors have finally given my daughter the go ahead to do so. That’s why winning the blender would be a HUGE blessing and would be perfect timing. 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity to enter this contest.

I’d use this to make nut mylks, drinks, dips, hummus for my preschooler, salsa
in the summer, fancy coffee shakes, fondues, soups, pesto, nut butters & sauces.
We’d use the heck out of this Blendtec! Happy New Year =)

I’ve always wanted a blendtec but could never afford it! I would love to make fruit & green smoothies, homemade soups, nut butters, ice cream, yogurt, almond milk, hummus, etc. I hope I win! This is a wonderful giveaway to a very lucky person

I eat low carb and grain free. This would be great for smoothies et al, but wouldn’t it work on prep for making Almond meal, Mashed Cauliflower, oat flour and all that neat low carb sauces etc that I enjoy? OH, and my kids love smoothies! Yeah! Sounds great!

YUM! What a fantastic give-away prize!!! So many wonderful ideas are coming to my mind – whoever wins won’t want to leave their kitchen! It’s summer time in Australia at the moment so here are some idea’s I’ve just had:

I think having such a powerful blender would improve my plant-based cooking, allowing smoother sauces, “cheeses,” and green smoothies (which I avoid now since my blender doesn’t make the green all that smooth!

I love blendtec! I got to use one at my coffeshop job and I lvoe making green smoothies at home with my kids, its especially useful to have a good blender when my Autistic son is a very picky eater, putting a ton of nutrition into a smoothie has saved my butt many times.

Oh my…I have a Blendtec, and could not imagine life without it. I have a family member that is wanting to make more healthy dips, and smoothies, and this is the PERFECT gift for them. I would love to win this for them.

I would LOVE a Blendtec! I would not only make the wonder spread (looks yummy), but also smoothies, sauces, soups, etc. I’m a fairly new to the “plant-based” way of eating (diagnosed with type 1.5 diabetes 5 years ago), and am always looking for new recipes. Appreciate so much your help in that! 😉 I currently own a very, very cheap original ninja something (not really a blender), that takes forever to make a simple smoothie, and is just about on its last blade.

I would LOVE a blendtec. I made Dreena’s Great Pumpkin Pie for Xmas and my poor little blender could not cream the cashews. We had little nut chunks in our pie – tasty, but not what the recipe calls for! I would use the blendtec for more recipes such as this where nuts need to be creamed (e.g. Dreena’s Creamy House Dressing, Artichoke Dip, etc.). Thanks!

What would I NOT make with this Blendtec and the twister jar is the QuEsTiOn!!! I would use this for smoothies…and wait…hummus..and oh…sheesh….SOUPS….and of course, GREEN smoothies…and fruit healthy IceCream…and then I’d be sure to make my SAUCES with this….and then I’d use it for my salad DRESSINGS….I would be constantly using it!! That way my 2014 would be HEALTHY HEALTHY HEALTHY! Yay!

A friend posted about this giveaway (which I am unbelievably excited about) but I can’t believe I’ve never stumbled across your site before! I’m hungry just scrolling past your smoothie (let alone the pasta sauce, geez!) so I am definitely a follower now! Thanks for putting this out there =)

Dreena, I have been searching and researching blenders to use to make smoothies, soups, and nut butters, etc… I have started this health journey to eat plant based off and on for over a year. This month I became sick again after going off the healthy eating. Ikeep going on and off because I haven’t planned ahead or set up my kitchen for success. I work long days and need to have things prepared ahead of time most days so I can take them on the road with me. Anyway, I begun again two weeks ago, but this time with planning and equiping my kitchen as much as I could. It is kinda sparse yet. 🙂

I just want to get healthy, to be able to enjoy my family, friends, children, and grandchildren. I do have an old hamilton beach blender I can use, just thinking something more powerful would be helpful to make the morning smoothie and many other things I have recipes for now.

I would make so many things! I have just a regular blender, which has served me well, but its hard to make really smooth dressings and nut butters. I would definitely make more of those. Thanks for the opportunity!

I have always wanted a blendtec!!!! The things I could do with it! But I cannot afford one, so would LOVE to win one! THANK YOU. I love your recipes, and featured many of them at my first vegan Christmas dinner. My thirty guests loved them all (none are vegan)

I use and would use a blendtec everyday. I make smoothies most every morning for my husband and I. I usually make a sauce or dressing every other day. Last night we had your yummy sweet potato bisque. I also would use it to make spinach/artichoke dip. It has been my standard this holiday season for all the parties I have been too and needed to bring an appetizer.

I would love to win this! I would use it for myself and my youngest son who is a gluten free vegan and pretty often a raw food fan. For Thanksgiving and Christmas I made different loaves for him to bring along and the chopping/blending thing I used for some processing of ingredients overheated and quit on me. I would really love to try some pureed soup for me. Sounds yummy!

Great giveaway! Would love love love to win this! Husband and I are going to go back to healthy eating on Jan 2 post holiday binge and I am looking for a juicer and really good blender. I already do a soy/almond milk banana shake for breakfast and want to add some awesome green drinks to the daily menu. Thanks for the opportunity!

I would love to eat healthier and the blendtec would definitely help me do that! I could make a lot more foods myself to avoid processed foods and could make healthy smoothies. I also would love to make food for my daughter who just started solids!

What an awesome giveaway! I would use the Blendtec to make green smoothies and to try all your awesome recipes that use the soaked cashews. It would be so exciting to win, a great appliance to start a Healthy New Year!

giving away a blendtec appears to be a great way to get all the comments ever in the world! I love a good blender for soups and salad dressings and anything with soaked cashews. There’s nothing like being able to acheive super smooth texture, when that’s what you’re looking for!

Hi Dreena! I would definitely make my daily green smoothies in my new Blendtec blender, and I’m looking to venture into using it for more recipes. I’ve tried using my small blender but it doesn’t work so well:( Thank you for your wonderful blog and cookbooks!

I would make so many things!! I am a raw vegan so there a million recipes that require a nice blender and my blender is from the 70’s… haha I want to make raw pumpkin pie but my blender can’t handle pureeing a pumpkin!

I would make smoothies daily if not twice a day. Pureed soups. Pulverize nuts, seeds, and oats. The list is endless. I would LOVE to have a blendtec…it would get an infinite amount of use in my household! Thank you for the opportunity to possibly win one! 😀

Smoothies and sauces! I’m a long time vegan that has only just begun to experiment with using soaked nuts in sauces (I know, shame on me), and it would be great to have a blender that would stand up to the job. =)

There are so many options with the blendtec. I would definitely use this a lot. Soups, Smoothies and so much more. I currently have a cheap blender & a Nutribullet. The NB works great, but is just to small. I would Soo Love to win this blender.

I am very excited about this Blendtec Giveaway, it will catalyze my new year’s resolutions to eat a greater range of local seasonal vegetables and make fresh vegan home-made sauces and nut butters. Thank you for this opportunity! 🙂 Miranda

I would love to win a Blendtex as I have been making our morning smoothies with a handheld blender and a mason jars for years now 😉
I would use it for smoothies (obviously), ice creams, pie filling, nut butters, hummus, nut pates etc!

Oh my gosh! I would make everything with this lol, I always wanted to make nut butters and nut based sauces but really can’t with what I have, oh and smoothies of course and soups well lot’s and lot’s of things.

Vegan cheeses! I have seen so many wonderful recipes for cashew cheeses, but my current blender isn’t capable of achieving the texture I need to make a good nut-based cheese. I need this Blendtec so badly!!!

I recently purchased your Plant Powered 15 recipe ebook. Naturally, I went right to the desserts. The first one I looked at was Peanut Butter Munchy Squares. It appealed to me because it looked easy and contained all natural ingredients that I already had on hand. A Blendtec would certainly make my life easier when making desserts! I have an old, creaky Osterizer, but it’s the best I can do for now.

First I want you to know that I just recently discovered all of the wonderful recipes and information that you share here. Thank you so much! This is now my first “go to” when looking for a healthful recipe. I know I would be making sauces and spreads a lot but also smoothies. Happy New Year!

Ih my gosh, I’ve been yearning for a high-powered blender for only over six months since I’ve gone vegan. I’m discovering so many “better” recipes for old ones and I love it! My favorite way to get eat healthier is by making super nutritious smoothies. That would be what I would use use the blender most for. Fingers crossed!

I would definitely start with smoothies and then try going with lots of other things, nut butters etc. Love your recipes, trying to make sure we eat healthier and this would certainly help! Hope you had a wonderful holiday!!

I am so glad to have found your page. So many people are wanting more vegetarian foods. This is all pure delight, I can’t wait to try some of your recipes. The chickpea tart, done in phyllo sounds delish!

I just burned up a blender motor on Christmas Day–yes, I could smell the smoke! Would love to make the fresh nut butters in the twister jars. Smoothies are a given. Nut milks would be a staple as well.

Green smoothies and nut butter for sure. When I last tried making Oh She Glow’s maple chia hemp almond butter in something else it took more than an hour with frequent stops, stirs, and restarts. This would make it so easy–thanks!

the first thing I would make if I had this Blendtec would be your mac oh geez! it looks soooo good in the picture and the recipe seems very healthy. after that, from what I understand, the possibilities are endless!

The very first thing I would make with a new blender is the MACnificent sauce cause I love mac and cheese and the pic in your Plant Powered 15 ebook looks great. I also want to make more smoothies and try soup in it too.

Been eating vegan for 20 months now and am always looking for new recipes to try and new ways to make existing favorites even better. I would love something like this for making my hummus recipes turn out even smoother and also for trying my hand at making some truly smooth smoothies. I love to cook, and this looks like a truly awesome tool to have in the kitchen. Pick me . . . . Please!!!!

I’m just starting my plant powered life but I would totally use it for green smoothies, salad dressings, hummus, but butters and probably a whole lot more!!! This would be an awesome addition to my new healthy life!!

I love the gluten-free Wonder Spread recipe. In the new year I want to eat more beans and seem to hide them better when they’re blended and mushed up in recipes! I would make a bean brownie recipe with the Blendtec.

Without a doubt I would use it daily for green smoothies. My weekly CSA basket is brimming over with beautiful hearty greens. Green juice is already a family staple and I’d love to be able to expand my repertoire with a powerful blending machine.

By the way, I’m slowly cooking my way through all of the recipes in your cookbooks Dreena. I’ve been working on it for the past three years. My only trouble is that I keep returning to tried-and-true favourites (tamari roasted chickpeas and banana oat bundles).

I didn’t think I could be vegan until I found your recipes. They are consistently delicious!

Oh, the things I would prepare, as my plant based life does repair, my body ,life and soul? The soups, sauces, spreads and smoothies. Nut butters, flours and date powered sweet things. Hemp milk and cashew cheese. The BlendTec would make it all a breeze! Nearly a year now that I have been plant based. My old blender does not have the power to make this journey with me. You may have an idea how truly appreciated such a gift as a BlendTec would be! Thank you : )

I’ve been vegan for years and am now wheat free. I would love to incorporate more raw and grain free dishes like soups and spreads using the Blendtec. I would also love to come up with a raw fig jam recipe in August when our trees are producing and I think Blendtec’s seed pulverizing power will be just what I need.

I would love to win the blendtec! I have just started making smoothies to help with a more vegan and gluten free lifestyle. I currently use a Walmart purchased 10 yr old blender that gets the job done but takes double the time. I would love to use it to try my hand at homemade almond milk and date milk!

We make a lot of smoothies… So much so I tend to burn through my blenders. 🙁 I’d also really like to explore dip recipes as well as cold soups in the summer. Recipes look great, Dreena! Thank you for sharing!

If I won the blendtec I would use it for green smoothies, homemade nut milk, and homemade nut butters. This blender would save me so much time! As a broke college student this blender would be a blessing!

I would use it to make smoothies and pretty much any recipes in your cookbooks that call for a blender. Your recipes are simply amazing… I have loved everything I’ve made so far! So many more to try! 🙂

If I were the lucky winner of a Blendtec Blender I would enjoy experimenting daily, trying a full range of recipes for soups, smoothies, ice creams, vege dishes etc. A Blendtec has been on my wish list! thank you

When the Oster blender my mom gave me as a “Congrats on your first apt” gift died last year after two decades (I only used it occasionally) I hadn’t started my plant powered journey yet so I replaced it with a $35 model. Now that I make green smoothies for breakfast every workday I realize how nice it would be to have a blender that wouldn’t need restraining so it won’t walk across the counter. It would also be nice to not have to stop, after loading ingredients, and go dry my hair in order to let the frozen banana pieces partially thaw before I can make my morning smoothie. Yes, that is part of my daily routine now, lol. As a new plant powered cook, I don’t think I even realize how much of a difference owning a Blendtec would make to my culinary life. Here’s hoping I find out!

I would really like to try out your sauces for casseroles and the spreads. The Mac-o-geez and Magnificent sound wonderful. I would love to find an alternative to mac and cheese as that is my weakness and favorite comfort food.

I’d love to have this giveaway to jump start my plant-strong lifestyle. I was doing pretty well and was really sidetracked by the holidays. I would like to get into the habit of making green smoothies for myself and my family!